Mother of IDF Soldier Who Never Returned From Gaza Still Waiting to Welcome Him Home

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Interview

Oron Shaul and his mother Zehava. Photo: Facebook.

In the summer of 2014, Zehava Shaul’s son, Oron, went off to war in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. He never returned and, nearly four years later, Zehava is still waiting to welcome him home.

Oron, then a 20-year-old sergeant in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, disappeared after his armored personnel carrier was struck by an anti-tank missile during Operation Protective Edge’s Battle of Shuja’iyya. The IDF determined that Oron was killed in action, but his body was never recovered, and Zehava has yet to receive any definitive information regarding her son’s fate.

Zehava’s search for answers took her this week to Geneva, Switzerland, where the UN Human Rights Council is meeting. While there, she is speaking with officials from all over the world, hoping to raise awareness of her son’s situation.

“The pain is still deep, as deep as possible,” Zehava told The Algemeiner on Tuesday. “And it grows worse day by day.”

“This is a humanitarian issue,” Zehava emphasized. “I have no problem if the people of Gaza are given everything they need, but my son is also a human being with rights, and I demand everything possible be done to give my soul a little rest.”

Zehava also criticized Hamas, saying, “The Israeli government lets a lot of things into Gaza — money, food, construction materials, but Hamas takes these for itself and doesn’t give them to the people of Gaza. Concrete is sent there and Hamas uses it to build tunnels. Is this logical?”

“We give them so much, the least they could do is give us something from Oron — to let us know what is going on with him and to return him to us already,” Zehava continued. “We can’t wait any longer. I can’t go on living like this. Time is passing and I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“I don’t expect progress in the near future,” Zehava concluded. “But my biggest wish is to have Oron at home soon.”